| One Hundred Seventh Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on
Wednesday, the third day of January, two thousand and one
An Act
Concerning the participation of Taiwan in
the World Health Organization.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
- SECTION 1. CONCERNING THE PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN
IN THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO).
- (a) FINDINGS- The Congress makes the following
findings:
- (1) Good health is important to every citizen of
the world and access to the highest standards of health information and services is
necessary to improve the public health.
- (2) Direct and unobstructed participation in
international health cooperation forums and programs is beneficial for all parts of the
world, especially with today's greater potential for the cross-border spread of various
infectious diseases such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis, and
malaria.
- (3) Taiwan's population of 23,500,000 people is
larger than that of 3/4 of the member states already in the World Health Organization
(WHO).
- (4) Taiwan's achievements in the field of health
are substantial, including one of the highest life expectancy levels in Asia, maternal and
infant mortality rates comparable to those of western countries, the eradication of such
infectious diseases as cholera, smallpox, and the plague, and the first to eradicate polio
and provide children with hepatitis B vaccinations.
- (5) The United States Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and its Taiwan counterpart agencies have enjoyed close collaboration on a
wide range of public health issues.
- (6) In recent years Taiwan has expressed a
willingness to assist financially and technically in international aid and health
activities supported by the WHO.
- (7) On January 14, 2001, an earthquake,
registering between 7.6 and 7.9 on the Richter scale, struck El Salvador. In response, the
Taiwanese government sent 2 rescue teams, consisting of 90 individuals specializing in
firefighting, medicine, and civil engineering. The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
also donated $200,000 in relief aid to the Salvadoran Government.
- (8) The World Health Assembly has allowed
observers to participate in the activities of the organization, including the Palestine
Liberation Organization in 1974, the Order of Malta, and the Holy See in the early 1950's.
- (9) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy
Review, declared its intention to support Taiwan's participation in appropriate
international organizations.
- (10) Public Law 106-137
required the Secretary of State to submit a report to the Congress on efforts by the
executive branch to support Taiwan's participation in international organizations, in
particular the WHO.
- (11) In light of all benefits that Taiwan's
participation in the WHO can bring to the state of health not only in Taiwan, but also
regionally and globally, Taiwan and its 23,500,000 people should have appropriate and
meaningful participation in the WHO.
- (b) PLAN- The Secretary of State is authorized--
- (1) to initiate a United States plan to endorse
and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of the World Health
Assembly in May 2001 in Geneva, Switzerland; and
- (2) to instruct the United States delegation to
Geneva to implement that plan.
- (c) REPORT- Not later than 14 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a written report to the
Congress in unclassified form containing the plan authorized under subsection (b).
Speaker
of the House of Representatives.
Vice
President of the United States and
President
of the Senate.
|
